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IF they wanted to they can make it work. 3 sessions of practice with 5 teams each would take less than 4 hours including scraping between each session. Start 8am done by noon. Hotshots first round can be done at the end of each practice session adding about an hour.
2 more rounds of hotshots in the afternoon to give them a break and all finished by 4

You can even play draw 1 Friday night.

With this many teams it decreases the likelihood of ties of the top 4 teams. Not always, but typically.

Again, it can be done if they choose to. Could there be another agenda at play?

But doth to say if JJ can take a freshman 3rd into battle, maintain her wits about her and cop a 6th STOH title - it will obviously be her biggest accomplishment. BY FAR - even against a slightly diluted Scotties field!

Bit disappointed in Jones. The STOH is her specialty event - going for a record 6th title would seem an amazing accomplishment.

However, according to the CZ site - Kaitlyn Lawes is listed as her 3rd for the event, not Manitoba substitute Shannon Birchard. One would think Jones would have told Kaitlyn to start preparing for her Olympic journey and bring Birchard into the Cont. Cup - giving her a taste of action against teams - most of whom are stronger than the opponents she'll face in Penticton.

quote:Originally posted by Manitoba Legend Bit One would think Jones would have told Kaitlyn to start preparing for her Olympic journey and bring Birchard into the Cont. Cup - giving her a taste of action against teams - most of whom are stronger than the opponents she'll face in Penticton.

Just a thought!

Jones was not at the Cont, Cup.
In fact she was in the provincials that weekend.
ML getting more confused?

With the expanded field, looks like the budget is stretched. I'm seeing lots of fundraising going on either to pay for a 5th player or to fund the trip itself! Hope the hotel rooms are at least being paid for. Anyone know what CC has cut back on besides the 5th player?

1. Qualified for Roar of the Rings but barely reached 4-4 after an atrocious start; 5-3 would have qualified as Jones did - Jones eventually got stuffed by Homan on Rachel's Olympic journey.

2. Got tossed around in the Alberta Scotties - eventually won by Casey Schiedegger. Val didn't even make it to the playoff round. Kept losing her last-chance games.

3. Had a poor go on the cash circuit. This might be the worst insult because its over a lengthy period (qualiy based on nearly 2 years CTRS points). You can write off one event as 'out of sorts' but not many. Couldn't even hitch a ride into the Friday night desperation game at the Scotties because she didn't have as many points as Silent Kerri Einarson. I think even a club team like Spencer or her sister had more points actually.

So does this putrid season mean we won't be seeing Val & her giggle girls next season? Val has been knocking on the door for nearly 8 yrs now - a fixture. Lori Olson-Johns will be 47/48 next Olympic cycle - Val will be 34/35.

Val Sweeting is a talented curler - and a very fine lady with good on-ice demeanour. A fairly aggressive game that suddenly bursts into unexplained timidity.

My guess is the Empress of Alberta curling - Heather Nedohin will try to place Val in a better program, perhaps vicing for Chelsea Carey if Cathy O decides to hang things up once and for all.

For now its Carey with an 80 to 90% chance to take the final STOH spot vs. the timid and often unsettled Kerri Einarson. Einarson is the only really Scotties level curler on her team. S Kaatz is timid and can't stand up to top 3rds. Liz Fyfe might be the most overrated 2nd in the womens game - often missing open shots at critical stages. Kristen McCuish is a solid and above average lead.

Should they fluke by Carey (Carey would have to stumble badly for that to happen) they could cause some damage in their group because the only teams obviously superior to them would be Jones (hindered by the loss of Lawes), Scheidegger. Can't say Einarson is better or worse than Englot (who's frankly not very good) or Fleury (Einarson might be slightly superior to Little Tracy as a shooter, not much separation between Selena K & Crystal Webster fwiw neither are all-stars.

PREDICTION FOR STOH PLAY-IN GAME NEXT FRIDAY:
If Chels curls under 64% then Einarson has a good chance of winning. Otherwise bet on Carey.

Right now the best Alberta womens skip is undoubtedly Casey Scheidegger - and Casey is no sure thing at the STOH, even with major teams m.i.a.

If McTaggart falters at the Scotties perhaps Nedohin places Sweeting as Scheidegger's 3rd - might make a difference in future taking on monsters like Homan, Jones, Carey, top world teams, perhaps even Holly Duncan.

Rocque & Crocker - co-captains of that all-smurf alberta squad might also be looking for change.

One thing that works in Val staying with Lori, Dana & Brown is they are so darn comfortable with each other. Val would not get that from Carey who can be totally indifferent or gets agitated on the turn of a dime.

ALL THAT SAID - THE BIGGEST FREE AGENT OF 2019 WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE KAITLYN LAWES; should Jones falter badly at STOH (sub .500 without Lawes)

Personally I don't know if Lawes is contractually bound to Jones for another season (or more) but if she isn't - and obviously witness to a steady Jones decline she may consider going to Alberta with a myriad of choices available to her (3rd for Scheidegger, skipping Rocque & Crocker on Team Smurf, 3rd for Kleibrink, allying with Val Sweeting).

EJ Kim squashing Rachel prolly the most astounding result - the Koreans are good, very good - but squashing Rachel at this point in the season (pre-Olympic tuneup) is surprising.

Kim will be given the "are you for real?" test later tonite vs. Carey who's been the best overall average team at the event. If she polishes of Chels she could well move herself up into the upper echelon of Olympic favorites.

Rocque didn't provide much resistance to Carey but then again, Rocque is NOT a powerful team. Nice looking group of smurfs but seemingly always throwing up mediocre percentages.

On the other side Englot meets Jones in an ALL-MANITOBA LEGENDS semi.
Englot is fascinating - she's touch and go to make just about any takeout she's given but somehow has worked her team into a semi-final vs. legendary JJ Jones.

Jones - seems to be practicing her way into Olympic or Scott Tourn. of Hearts form (her two favorite events) - putting a kibosh on Silvana Tirinzoni.

Now its Englot vs. Jones. Some of you might say "Why even play the game? Jones will crush her!

Not so fast friends - Englot matches up very well with Jones - Englot is the modern day equivalent of Kelly Scott, the legendary BC skip who never had much leg drive and couldn't throw much more than back-line weight. Her shaky delivery is a recipe for missing numerous takeouts. Her third is similar to Scott's legendary Shredder, Jeanna Schraeder - - - for all the problems Englot has making takeouts - Kate Cameron is a takeout machine who's problems begin - and end with her mediocre to poor draw game.

If Englot can somehow manipulate Jones into a pitti-patti house game there's the route for Englot to upset the great Jones. Especially if the manipulation also includes heavy-hitter Kate Cameron doing nothing but hit all nite long.
Stlll think Jones is the favourite to topple Englot but not as much as most might think (probably 60 to 62% chance Jones wins!

i don't know with rachel. she looked mostly mediocre all season than won the trials. the thing is..even at the trials they won a fair few games ugly.

i wouldn't doubt at all they treated the continental cup for what it was, a meaningless exhibition and therefor didn't go 100% but i really don't think that, with the olympics being so close they'd take this event lightly.

so what happens at the olympics. i bet they'll be on their game . the thing is though, a lot of teams that will be there have beaten them recently. having that confidence and knowing you have beaten someone recently can really help you out.

Joanne Courtney put up some monster numbers this week - but its hard for a team 2nd to carry any team on her back, let alone the great Homan.

Courtney was also brushing with a frenzy - looking like she wanted to burn thru the ice to the cement at times. To no avail.
Surprised they got so spooked by the bad rocks - maybe should have abdicated hammer and picked the better rocks?

Based on the form I've seen coming into and during The Meridian - I'd have to rate Chels Carey as the top seed for the STOH (and Carey has yet to grab herself a spot; pretty much a formality vs. the under-powered and erratic Einarson squad.

Cathy O seems to have taken control of Chelsea's mind - a good thing - relaxing the usually uptight Winnipegger and getting maximum performance most of the time.

After that go as follows:

2. Schiedegger & Jones (tie)
3. Englot (best form yet this week in Camrose, squashing Jones like a bug. Slight case could be made to move Englot into the 2 group w/ Jones & Scheidegger but Englot has been more erratic than even Jennifer Jones this season. Now, she's in a grand slam final - awaiting her victim tomorrow in the EJ Kim vs. Carey outing.
4. Hollie Duncan (I'm a Believer)
5. Tracy Fleury

This should be a no-brainer. Carey's Tough Girls over-match Englot's Sloppy Girls.
Carey's team has been around - local, provincials, nationals, worlds, and like Englot no Olympic experience whatsoever!

Englot is a craft campaigner who seemingly can drag better teams into the mud and torment them with games chock full of misses and strategy gaffes. How she got Jennifer Jones to donate a late 3-spot to her yesterday a perfect example! Jones fell into the Englot trap perhaps like no other before her.

If Cathy O continues to control Carey and her yo-yo emotions then this should be a simple slam win for Carey - great lead up to her play-in game vs. Einarson at the STOH.

If Englot can immerse Carey into the darkness of sloppy curling then its anyone's guess - probably Englot emerges with the duke and gives herself a bit of artificial confidence heading into Penticton.

Absolutely no sure thing! Without the most dominant team in women's curling (Homan) the field is wide open. Even more wide open if CC Carey manages to trip herself up in the playoff game (she's about 85 to 95% sure to go thru immo)

Jones, the battle-scarred ice warrior knows the game like no other - its her execution that's been her personal bug-a-boo. She's also extremely careless, reckless at times and a team with a few hot ends are always capable of toppling the JJ.

Scheidegger looks like the next big thing out of Alberta, but they're really not all that battle-tested - big questions at 3rd (McTaggart) and Skip Casey's nerves.

Sherry Anderson has championship pedigree but is bringing in a team of youths. Can Sherry make the necessary shots to wend her way to playoffs? I actually think so. Her personal percentages will not be amazing, she's 55 or 56 but she's a gamer and managed to fend off all comers in Sask'n.

A myriad of teams have real chances to make playoffs; especially in the absence of monsters like Homan, Sweeting, Kleibrink, McCarville and an unarmed Jones group.

Re: Jones. I think Shannon Birchard is a great young curler - but Jones was still having communication problems with Lawes - even after 8 years of togetherness, so the differences between Birchard and Jones should be on full display.

Galusha, Anderson, Van Osch, especially Hollie Duncan - I think they'll all play a part in the drama.

Imagine if Jones, Scheidegger, Carey & Fleury don't even make it thru to the page - hard to imagine, right? I still think we'll see two (2) of them on the final weekend.

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